Monday, April 14, 2008

Here’s a “balanced” footage from TRK Kyiv, a hijacked municipal channel that acts as a mouthpiece for incumbent Mayor Chernovetsky.

Narrator: Meanwhile, a dozen supporters gathered outside the City Hall to rally for their candidate.

Unemployed men with signs of drinking problemsMan 1: We came to vote for Krivo…for Klychko, Vladimir…Vitalik [diminutive for Vitaliy]. Man 2: What are you doing?Man 3: Hi mom!Man 4: We hope he gives us jobs, so that we don’t walk around dirty like that.Man 3: What are you staring at, man?Man 4: Klychko is a sportsman, right? Okey-dokey.

Narrator: Klychko representatives were not happy with their potential voters. They ripped out the slogan banners and chased away their candidate’s supporters.

Klychko representative: Vitaliy Klychko does not campaign with slogans like this, you understand? This whole “fella” lingo… [tears apart a faux slogan with the word пацаны (fellas)].

Narrator: Klychko hasn’t yet divulged the slogans he will use and the unique selling point of his campaign.

Chernovetsky, who rarely and hardly speaks Ukrainian, has made himself abundantly clear on the issue.

Klychko, who now speaks better Ukrainian, once argued that his speaking broken Ukrainian would spoil the beauty of the language.

The post-imperial legacy of Russification is gradually wearing off in Kyiv, a cross-generational trend.

I consider de-Russification/re-Ukrainization a national security issue. This issue requires a pragmatic policy and takes time. I believe it should support the vision of Ukraine as an independent country with a strong cultural identity of its own.

I do not oppose the use of Russian by private citizens. Nor do I oppose minorities’ efforts to maintain their cultural identity, provided that tolerance does not become a threat.

Finally, I strongly oppose the non-use/non-knowledge of Ukrainian by public officials.

Office seekers who scorn, or fail to learn, Ukrainian pose a threat to Ukraine’s national security and must not be tolerated.